


Come with me

by Pureblood_Slytherin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Hunting a War Lord, hard decisions, the things we do for love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27891280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pureblood_Slytherin/pseuds/Pureblood_Slytherin
Summary: Thrawn smiled, while turning to the Princess again; his gaze slowly ran over her body, making her shiver. “You have changed," he said.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Come with me

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Сбежим вместе?](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/721936) by Louya. 



**A/N:** First of all, thanks to the author, [Louya](https://ficbook.net/authors/1058494), who allowed me to translate this. It's her story. I can't spreak Russian and English isn't my mother tongue either. Therefore, I apologise in advance for the mistakes I'm sure I have made. And now: Enjoy! :)

****Come with me****

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..._

Leia was terrified, but only for a second. Holding on to her blaster, she slowly, but steadily walked into the darkness.

She did not know if he would actually be here, but, after walking on for a little while longer, she could make out a silhouette by the window and there was no mistaking him - _Thrawn._

Leia directed her blaster at the Grand Admiral with a swift, confident movement. 

“I wonder how long you have been dreaming about this, Princess?” Thrawn asked in his typical smooth voice. 

Suddenly the room lid up and the Grand Admiral turned around, looking directly at the Princess. For a minute the Princess thought he hadn't noticed the blaster pointing at him, as he was far too relaxed.

“I am aware of my mortality.” He said, as if reading her mind. 

“Then why is there no fear in your voice?" the Princess inquired, while coming a little closer.

“Isn’t it obvious?" He asked and then smiled as he took a step forward – the blaster’s muzzle pressing right against his chest now. “Because I am not afraid.” The Chiss whispered and Leia involuntarily shuddered, hoping against hope that the overconfident Admiral hadn’t noticed; but, of course, he had - it was hard to hide anything from him. They were standing very close now, separated only by the blaster in the Princess’ hand. 

“It isn’t that hard, Leia.”

She couldn’t deny liking the sound of his voice, especially the way her name sounded, coming from his lips. “Or do you have doubts?” 

The Chiss took a step forward, and the Princess immediately took a step back. 

“Don't provoke me, Thrawn." She said boldly, while threateningly moving her finger against the trigger. 

“I have to say that I like the look of pure determination on your face. It is… exciting." His scarlet eyes sparkled a little as he took an additional step forward, forcing her to take an extra step back.

A sudden wave of ambiguity filled the Princess then; cold sweat appearing on her forehead. She understood perfectly well what was going on; that she was giving in to his manipulations; played his game.

_The idea of taking the Grand Admiral of the Empire prisoner certainly had been easier in theory. But then again, when had it ever been easy?_

_No, she was deceiving herself. Han had been right; she couldn’t do it. She was in way over her head._

Suddenly Leia discovered that if Thrawn took another step, she would be pinned against the wall, leaving her with but two options: Shooting straight into his heart, or putting down the gun; admitting defeat.

And she couldn’t do the first. It was impossible. The very thought of his execution alarmed her. 

Thrawn knew how to disarm women, and Leia was no exception. He was exceedingly brilliant, incredibly perceptive and handsome, in his own way. One meeting with him had been enough to turn her life up-side down. He was the enemy and she understood that, yet her heart refused to listen. Leia was still angry with herself as it had happened while she had been pregnant and the feeling of betrayal towards Han had never left her. In fact, it was the main reason why she was here. Another was to convince herself that she and Thrawn could never be … whatever. It was unthinkable. And then, of course, she had hoped that by catching Thrawn for the Alliance, she could finally cut whatever bound it was they shared.

And now here she was, unable to see him die. He deserved death, the Princess knew that, but she was unable to accept it. Thrawn was the only one who could still flip the outcome of this war, abruptly ending the still flourishing, young New Republic’s reign. They had spent endless resources on eliminating him, yet his superior intellect and his seemingly boundless tactical skills had helped him to avoid his fate. Until now. Leia had been surprised that she had managed to penetrate the lion’s den at all; his quarters. She had always been lucky, but, in retrospect, it felt almost too easy and now here she was, with him, and the realization that the losing party was her, quickly hit home. 

With that, the Princess closed her eyes, took her finger off the trigger and slowly brought her hand half-way down. On the Grand Admiral’s face, a barely visible smile appeared - he had won. But the game was far from over. For that, it was too good an opportunity to let it pass. 

“I surrender," The Chiss said suddenly, before kneeling down in front of the young woman.

Leia opened her eyes; bewildered by what was happening. Grand Admiral Thrawn, on his knees, in front of her, with his hands folded behind his back, waiting, looking up at her. 

“I am, as they say, at your mercy.”

 _What? Why?_ Leia felt a chill running all over her body. He was up to something. She knew it.

_But she couldn’t miss this chance, could she? This was what she had come for! Her, personally, delivering the Grand Admiral to Coruscant._

Avoiding his eyes, Leia slowly bypassed Thrawn and handcuffed him.

“Just out of curiosity, Princess," the Chiss said, still on his knees. “How do you plan to get off my ship? Assuming you do… have a plan?” Leia squinted her eyes and quickly looked around. They were still alone. When she had arrived, she had had her doubts about her abilities to cross the hallway, even halfway, but, surprisingly, she hadn’t seen anyone and, in her adrenaline-fused state, the Princess hadn’t attached too much importance to those empty corridors. Now, however, she realized that she had made a colossal mistake. The eagerness for victory and the impending capture of the Admiral had blinded her. 

After taking a deep breath, Leia returned to her previous place, her eyes turning to Thrawn.

“There is no one here. And neither is there," she pointed at the hallways, outside the door. “How come I wasn’t greeted by a squadron of stormtroopers when I boarded the ship?” The Princess asked impatiently.

Thrawn smiled and then slowly got off his knees. Somehow, he had managed to get out of the cuffs and was now whipping the dust off his trousers. Leia immediately raised her phaser again and pointed it at the Admiral's chest.

“You are beginning to ask the right questions," the Chiss said, his eyes burning into hers. “My officers, who scanned the merchant ship, immediately identified a human life-signature on board. You see, you failed to recognize that the ship you were hiding in belonged to an ectotherm crew. The rest wasn’t too hard to figure out either.” Thrawn lowered his gaze, sceptically eyeing her blaster, while the corners of his lips rose to a barely visible smile. “My orders were to let you escape and infiltrate the ship," Thrawn continued, before carelessly turning his back on the Princess. “I am almost afraid to ask how much you paid these creatures for the ride.”

“There was no payment" Leia answered, while titling her head. “We intercepted them on Tatooine and I struck a deal they couldn’t refuse.”

Thrawn smiled, while turning to the Princess again; his gaze slowly ran over her body, making her shiver.

“You have changed." he said, before heading towards a table, on which a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine rested. “You can put the blaster away now. You won't be needing it.” 

Leia looked at the weapon which was still aimed at the Chiss and then, after taking a deep breath, she tugged it behind her belt, so that she could still pull it back out quicky, should the situation call for it. 

“So… Does that mean I’m your hostage now?” Leia asked provocatively, while folding her hands in front of her chest. 

“No, my dear. You are my guest." Thrawn replied calmly, holding out a glass to her. Leia looked at the offered drink, but then silently refused, while holding up her head proudly. If the situation had been any different, she wouldn’t have minded accepting the offer, but, right now, her pride didn’t allow her to take the glass. The knowledge that she had walked into the Admiral’s trap like a fool frustrated her and anger shock her body. Thrawn, who barely stood three steps away from her, seemed to enjoy her reaction and then shrugged, before putting the glass back on the table.

“I don’t understand… Why are you doing this?" Leia said, while trying not to fall prey to her emotions. “What do you want?”

“I want to get to know you better, Princess," the Grand Admiral answered as he headed towards a small sofa: still holding the glass in his hand. “The last time we saw each other, you were pregnant. I hope the children are well?”

Leia felt it again - that prick of gilt. Unconsciously, she briefly covered her eyes, in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her feelings. She was just as oblivious of his plan, as she was of her own feelings at the moment. Conversing with the Grand Admiral gave her some pleasure, yes, yet the fact that he was an Imperial officer remained and thus pleasure was quickly replaced by wiriness. 

“You know I had twins?” Leia asked, feeling that she craved this conversation after all. 

“The galaxy is a small place," Thrawn simply answered, while taking a sip from his glass.

“I take it General Solo is bursting with joy?” 

“That’s none of your business, Admiral." Leia replied quickly. 

“Forgive my curiosity, Princess," Thrawn said gently. “You are right, of course. No more talk of personal matters then… So, tell me, Princess, why are you here?” 

“Because it's long overdue for you to be behind bars," the Princess answered squeamishly.

“No. Why you are `you´ here?" he said, this time clearly emphasising the personal pronoun. “Why you and not Jedi Skywalker, or General Solo?” 

Leia was in no hurry to answer, thinking feverishly. She hadn’t been prepared for all those questions at all and now she had to pay for her lack of foresight.

Yes, she knew the answer, but she would be damned to say it out loud.

“Am I correct in the assumption that you embarked on this mission on your own?” The Chiss asked. “Without telling anyone?” He then continued. 

Of course he was. Han had straight-out forbidden it, but it hadn’t required more than a simple trick to leave the planet to go after him and by now enough time had passed for her friends to notice her absence. Han was probably already searching for her. He and Luke and the better part of the fleet, and Han had a pretty good idea where to find her. 

“Your friends will be here soon," Thrawn said. He had an uncanny gift of reading people. “Which means, we don't have much time.” 

“Your calmness is unsettling," Leia said, putting her hand back on the blaster. 

“There's nothing to worry about, Princess.” 

“And why is that?" Leia asked, while observing her interlocutor closely. “Do you think you can escape?” 

“Yes," Thrawn replied calmly, reaching for the bottle to refill the glass. “And you will come with me.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise and an unvoluntary laugh escaped her mouth at the Admiral's impudence. 

“And why would I do that?” 

“You tell me, Princess.” He got up from the sofa and slowly moved towards the young woman. “You were right when you noticed the lack of personal, by the way. It’s a lonely ship, with only a skeleton crew on board.”

“Why?” She asked, still unable to understand what was going on. 

“For appearances’ sake, of course. For those who attempt to hunt me.”

It didn’t take a genius to understand that with `those´ he meant her. Cautiously, the Princess looked at the Chiss, who was slowly approaching her. Putting her hand on the blaster was pure reflex. 

“Tell me. Why are you here?” He was at arm's length now. Leia swallowed unnoticeably; she could smell him now, and his sent was messing with her mind. It took all her strength being so close to him and still she couldn’t understand why she seemed to be such a central character in the Admiral’s schemes.

“You never answered my question.” She said then. “What makes you think I will come with you?” Leia asked, trying to look confident. 

“Because despite your husband's instructions to stay, and of those I’m certain, you are still here. With me. The ruthless Grand Admiral. You ran away, forgetting your beautiful children. Forgetting about that husband of yours, who is finding it hard to adjust, yet is searching for his beloved wife as we speak.” Thrawn took another step forward, until he stood directly in front of her.

“Why?” His question not more than a whisper. Leia did not blink and looked right into the Grand Admiral’s eyes, while comprehending his words. _He was right. Again. She hadn’t thought about the children and she hadn’t given a damn about the opinion of someone who loved her. She had forgotten about family and friends._ Leia sighed and then covered her eyes.

 _Why had she given up everything and come to him?_ She knew the answer, but was afraid of it. Thrawn managed to turn her soul inside out and he wanted her to answer, not only to him, but to herself as well. To finally admit the truth.

“Tell me, what makes a mother leave her child?” He whispered, right above her hear.

Leia flinched. Goosebumps pricked her skin and when she opened her eyes again, she looked right into the Chiss' scarlet eyes. And suddenly there was nothing but resentment and anger filling her mind. Losing all control, the Princess slapped his face. If he had expected it, it didn’t show, as he brought his own hand to his cheek now, cooling the bruised skin. 

“Don't you dare!" Leia hissed. Tears streamed down her face and her hand burned like fire after crashing against the durasteal of his bones.

Slowly she settled down on the floor and covered her face with her hands, hiding the tears.

His words had clearly hurt her, but he was at a loss of how to comfort her. After looking sympathetically at the Princess, he then knelt down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He waited a little, but she paid no attention to him, almost as if she didn’t feel his touch.

“I am sorry," he said, intensifying his hold on her shoulder, but only a little. “I did not mean to hurt you, Leia”. Still no reaction. She was lost in her own land of sorry and tears. 

“Look at me," he said then and reach with his other hand for her face. With an unhurried, controlled move he lowered her hands and Leia raised her blood-shot eyes and tearstained face to him. Without much thought, the Chiss slid the pad of his thumb across her cheek to dry her tears. He slid over her cheekbones and then, slowly, across her lips. He could feel her breath against his skin and the tension rising, before slowly approaching her. 

Leia knew what was happening and was afraid of it, yet she was unable to move, as for too long she had longed for this. He was so close, she could feel his breath on her lips, just a heartbeat away from kissing her. Leia instinctively closed her eyes, her mouth still slightly parted and when his lips finally touched hers, it was so gentle, it made her sigh. Their kiss intensified quickly, became more passionate, his tongue sensually invading her mouth. And when they finally broke the kiss, it was only from lack of oxygen. Breathing heavily, the Grand Admiral looked at her, waiting for a reaction. Perhaps preparing for a second slap, but Leia was far to confused by what was happening to do anything.

There were no more tears in her beautiful brown eyes, but she was still troubled. He sighed. They were running out of time.

“We have to go, Leia," He cupped her face with both hands and stroke her high cheekbones with his thumbs in reassurance. But, contrary to intention, the Chiss' words finally broke the Princesses’ trance and cleared her mind. With a sharp movement she pulled the blaster back out again and pressed it against his chest. 

“We have been through this before, Princess" said Thrawn, but let go of the young woman's face. “You won’t kill me.” 

“You are going nowhere, and neither am I. We are going to stay right here and wait for the Republic." Leia said firmly, pressing the blaster deeper into his body. 

“Is that your final decision?” the Chiss asked. 

“Yes," Leia replied quickly, while her mind was on fever, trying to predict what might happen next and what all of this meant. _Had she committed treason by kissing him?_ She couldn’t answer that question, not even to herself, as she herself was at a loss as to why or how it had happened in first place. _Doesn’t matter._ _What is done is done... But…How would Han react when he found out? If he found out. Should she confess to this moment of weakness? And would he forgive her, understand her?_ She didn’t know. Five minutes ago, the galaxy had been a much simpler place. Thrawn had been the villain, and she, the heroin, had been on a mission to stop him, but now everything was wrong. He had turned the world upside down and now she felt even worse than before that damned kiss. That damned welcome and forbidden kiss. And now here he was, sitting in front of her, unarmed and waiting. _It wouldn’t be difficult at all. To say `yes´ and run away with him. But there was no way she could do that._ Leia felt the despair of her situation. She couldn't come with him, but she also did not want to hand him over to the Republic. 

Lost in thought, Leia had no chance to react to the sharp movement in time. The Chiss easily disarmed the young woman and threw the blaster against the wall, where it then crashed to the ground.

“You think too much, my dear," Thrawn said, incapacitating the Princess.

“I have very little time left. I knew that your attachment to the Alliance would be strong, but I had still hoped you would join me.”

Leia wanted to answer, but he silenced her with another kiss. She tried to move back, but it was too late. Feeling his lips on her own again, she moaned softly and returned his passion without thought. This was farewell, she knew it and the feeling lay heavy on her chest. A lonely tear ran down her cheek into her hair. Thrawn broke the kiss and then ran the tip of his tongue over her lower lip for a final time.

“As much as I would like to take you with me, I will honour your wishes." He said barely audibly. “I will remember you, Princess.” 

The next thing she heard was the familiar click of handcuffs. Leia pulled her arms closer and immediately felt that she was chained.

Slowly the Chiss rose to his feet, gazing down at the Princess. They looked at each other: saying goodbye with their eyes. Leia quickly shook her head, in order to drive away the tears she felt coming and the feeling of emptiness. Thrawn smiled sadly, raised Leia's blaster from the floor and returned it to her. 

“Your friends will soon arrive, but then the ship will be cleared." he said quietly, thinking about the following words. “Take care, Leia, of yourself and the children. And promise me not to make a habit of chasing down Imperial War Lords on your own, will you?” Leia nodded briefly in response as it was too difficult to say anything at the moment. She felt powerless and her eyes were getting wet again. He stayed for a little while longer, looking at the Princess as if he were unsure whether to leave - until a commlink signal sobered the Grand Admiral’s mind. Swiftly he turned around, went to the door and left. 

Leia watched Thrawn's departure; tossing and turning her whole body, trying to break free. But it was hopeless. He was gone. _Would she ever see him again?_ She didn’t know. There was a great longing in her heart. And, with that, Leia closed her eyes and remembered the Admiral’s soft lips, while waiting for her friends...

**THE END**


End file.
